Hitch for tractor plows



A. P. McKAY.

HITCH FOR TRACTOR FLOWS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.10, I921.

Patented-Nov. 21, 19221..

mil/0" F1 Patented. Nov. 21 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTA POSTELLE MOKAY, OF ROME, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO McKAY DISK PLOW (30.,

OF ROME, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA. I

HITCH FOR TRACTOR FLOWS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUSTA P. MCKAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rome, in the county of Floyd and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hitches for Tractor Flows; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in draft appliances for plows, and more particularly refers to a draft appliance or hitch for connecting orchard plows to tractors.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic draft appliance which will permit the plows to bedrawn close to the tree trunks and beneath the low branches of fruit trees without causing damage to the fruit, while the tractor moves between the rows of trees also at a safe distance therefrom to prevent injury to the boughs or the fruit thereon. a

It is of course desirable that the plows should travel as nearly as possible in a straight line behind the tractor to obtain the advantage of lighter draft, and it is another object of the invention to provide an improved draft appliance which shall be adjustable to cause the plows to follow the tractor in various lines of draft.

A further object of the invention is to provide a draft appliance which will be extensible for the purpose of allowing the.

tractor to precede the plows at the required distance,-while being collapsible to enable the plows and tractor to approach each other so that they will form a compact unit or outfit able to turn in a short space as required by the minimum of room allowed at the headlands of orchards.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully de-I scribed hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts through- ,out the several views,

Application filed January 10, 1921.

Serial No. 436,287.

structed in preferably a substantial triangu- I lar form andis composed of a draft plate 1, a beam 2, a pair of bars 3 and .4, and plates 5. l a

The draft plate 1 ,is provided with series of perforations 6 and 7 extending in alinement at the forward portions of the plate and also withsimilar series of perforations 8 and9 also extending in alinement rearwardly of the first line of perforations.

Thebeam 2 is adapted to be connected to the draft plate 1 by a bolt 10 which passes through one of the perforations 6 and the perforated and upwardly ofi'set end 11 of the beam 2. A strap 12, shown in Fig. 2, is fit ted beneath the beam 2 andbenea-th the draft plate 1 and is also perforated at its rear end to receive the bolt 10, while being riveted or otherwise secured to the beam 2 as indicated at 13. The beam 2 extends forwardly and between theplates 5 to which it is riveted or otherwisesecured as indiperforation 7. The perforations 6 and T allow the parts to be adjusted toward or from each other l I a The bar 4, at its forward end, is pivoted at 16 between the plates5, and the two bars i 3 and 4 at theiradjacent ends are overlapped i and provided with series of perforations 17 adapted to be engaged by bolts orpins 18 and 19 in order tohold the bars in their adjusted. position and prevent them from pivoting at an intermediate point.

A draw, bar 20 slides freely between plates 5 and is guided in its movement by 1 the'beam 2 at one side and the end of the bar fat its opposite side. This draw .bar

20 is adaptedto be attached to the tractor at its forward end and for this purpose it may be provided with a slot 21 to receive a coupling pin on the tractor. At its rear end rivets or other fastenings 22 are secured in order to attach to the draw bar 20 a substantially U-shaped yoke 23 which embraces the beam 2 and slides along the same.

lected perforation 25 in the beam 2 to act as a stop or abutment for the loop 23, these parts acting to limit the forward extension of the draw bar 20. The yoke 23 may be provided with openings 26, adapted to aline Withv th reri o e ions 2 so thee-t bolt 24 y be in oommon Peeeedthroush t e Same in der 120-preve t the sl ding m ent of t e d e her 2 i wh ch se t automatic feature hereinafter refer-red tois dispens d th e d th dre he .mederi with its frame.

I the rwa nd of the re r e u d r d notoh 27 s mode i u h p s tion andlocation as to be occupied by-a dog..2 8 pivoted at 29 between the plates 5 and having-anarm 30 extending uptherefrom to which is attached a rope or-cord, 31 running forwardly to the traOtQI nd in a on en n p it on t h s eepe l y the perator. A coil spring 32.,extends between theeifm .39 e d the be ie end normally e d to ese he-d g to-eeekth .-n teh 2 The draft plate-'1 receives the forward e ds ofth Plow b ams 3- n %i-Whoh-m y be et eehed' o i in eny eo e l n m e a i h. re i tebly con e ed y ea of bo 5 l- 11. 6 fitting e et e y i the perforations 8 and 9,

In use, the tractor is connected with the drew e 2 or i stan e, by e o p ns P engaging through the slot 21. The plow beams 33 and 34 are provided with a suitable number, of discs or plows and the line of, draft of such plows. with respect to the tractor is regulated by the adjustment of the bars 3 and 43. These bars are moved toward or from each other on the removal of the ho te o pi i l8 and 19 and this adju tme eeee t e-emit plat 1 to e hiftedatere y with spe t he Pa h o ove ent-o the tractor and plows, and therefore shifts thep w t w d ori m h trunk o trees...

he-drew b 1120 will bep lled o t a uf e t di tanc P m tte by the lo et n o e ho 2i de t .ee ur th p op pee e e een t e treo or e d t e pl w Th d g 2 is norm lly sengage -from the slot 27 "so as to permit .of the "extensionof th sdre h n thei normel drawin of the plows- Wh h, howe e a heed ehdi re eh di the fleet-or is aeked oroies th dr w ba k-.29 oth t e er re an biihs he t e wish-27 into position-wh e gaged by the dog" 28.

A bolt or pin 24 maybe placed in a se-.

The spring 32 will automatically seat the dog 28 in the notch 27 and will keep it here until the dog is positively lifted out of the notch. The draft will therefore be taken up rigidly by the dog and both tractor and plows form a closely assembled unit or outfit capable of turning in a short space in the minimum room provided at'the headland. After the turning has been effected and the apparatus is in readiness to proceed down the next row, the operator may jerk or pull upon the cord or rope 31 which will swing the dog 28 out of the notch 27 in opposition to the influence of the coil spring-32. The further pulling of the tractor will then; cause :the extension of the draw bar 20 until itsyoke 33. strikes the abutment or Th draft appliance isreversible that is, it may be inverted or turned completely over. This may be easily accomplished by removing the bolts 10 ajnd15 from the draft work at the opposite side of the tractor and its reversible character permits the plows to work on either-side of the tractor. This latter feature is ofvalue inasmuch as, in

'ohe-r u u th -Pl wi g ie a t rnated,

t dur ng on season th soi s thro n to the trees, while at the next season the, soil is t o n ay om the re The improved draft appliance constructed accordmg to this-[invention is therefore especially of value in orchard culture.

It is obvious that various changes and .modificatlons may be made in the details of construction and design of the above speclfically' described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereo ,.such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is An mprov d dra t epp i h e o mp 'i ihe .e ngu t d t o u e h yi g o -ver iheeide ba s a pa f o ne t n p et eeure l e oss he, j cen e ds of the Sid b rseeid en s of t e S e h ing. .epeee'd apart and forming with the platesfla guide channel, a draw bar mounted to slide iu s d g id cha ne and ege et o e o sai side bars, means cooperably arranged on the draw banand said side bar for limiting the extensionpf the drawbar, and a latch carriedby said plates for releasably interlocking the dre r whe e t ch 2. An improved draft appliance comprisihge t ang lated tr eheving out ar y oohyerg ng, s de b r en e pla e seoure across the outer ends ofi ithe side for holding the same in spaced apart relation and forming beneath the plate a guide chem nel, a draw bar slidably disposed upon one of said side bars and with its forward end projecting through said guide channel whereby said draw bar may be drawn out from and slid back into the frame, adjustable means on the draw and side bars for limiting the outward movement of the draw bar, said draw bar having a notch in one side at its outer end, and a spring-operated 10 latch carried by said plate in line with said notch and adapted to slip into the latter when the drew her is retracted.

AUGUSTA POSTELLE MOKAY. 

